Analyzing the Narrative Structure of Mulan

Mulan, the action-adventure film follows the traditional three-act structure, beginning with the orientation then complications and then finishes with the resolution. Mulan is a 1998 American animated action film produced by Walt Disney feature animation for Walt Disney Pictures. Walt Disney demonstrates just how carefully and successfully this movie introduces their characters, conflicts, settings and plot with style.

The orientations purpose is to introduce the story, characters, setting, time, place and the conflict to the viewers. The conflict is immediately shown to the audience at the beginning of ‘Mulan’ where the Huns, who are led by their ruthless leader Shan Yu who is the antagonist in this film, invade China by attacking the Great Wall of China, which shows the setting is in China during the Northern Wei dynasty. Meanwhile, Mulan, the protagonist and the hero in this film, is set up for her bride test and causes an accident with the matchmaker who claims that Mulan will never be a bride or bring her family honour. Due to the Huns invasion on the Great Wall of China causes the Chinese Emperor to order one man from each family to join the Chinese army. Mulan's father is the only man in their family must go to war, this causes her to become anxious and concerned for him to his bad health. Mulan then demonstrates bravery as she steals her father's old armour and disguises herself as a boy named Ping so that she can join the army instead of her father. Mulan breaks damsel in distress role, due to her being a female, by fighting in her elderly father's place against the Huns. Family honour is highly valued in this film because an impersonation of a soldier is punishable by death. Mulan then reports to a training camp where she gains military skills while keeping her female identity hidden.

The 2nd stage is the complication stage, provides the audience with fearfulness since the protagonist has to face many life-threatening problems in this complication stage. The complication begins when the Chinese army reinforcements leave the mountains but then are ambushed by the Huns. Mulan uses a cannon to cause an avalanche, which causes the Huns to be buried in snow. This angers Shan Yu, the antagonist who tries to stop the protagonist from reaching their goal and causes him to slash her in the chest with his sword. Mulan then saves Shang bravely from the spine chilling avalanche. This is used to relieve the audience that Mulan and Shang are safe. A doctor then bandages which cause her gender to be revealed to Shang when he sees her feminine body. Mulan is then in endangered of being executed, because of the Chinese law of impersonating a soldier. Shang the general spares her life but removes Mulan from the army due to her saving his life and all of China. Mulan is then left behind but find that a few Huns who are led by Shan Yu, have survived the avalanche. Mulan catches sight of them, which signals the audience that the antagonist isn’t done yet.

The 3rd stage is the most extreme part in the movie, this is considered to be the Climax. The audience instantly gets a wave of anxiousness when Mulan hurries to the city where she is unable to prove of Shan Yus arrival to Shang. This provides Shan Yu with the advantage of being believed to be dead and defeated. The Huns invade the Emperor's palace and hide on the rooftops where he retrieves his sword back from Shang then seizes the palace. Shang endures this and helps Mulan to defeat Shan Yu's men with some help. Mulan saves Shang’s from Shan Yu life by angering the Shan Yu when she shows that she was the reason his army failed their mission to claim china. This allowed Mulan to lure Shang Yu onto the roof Where Mulan and Shan Yu then engage each other in single combat, which creates suspenseful climax for the audience. Mulan Secretly arranged a plan with Mushu, who shoots a firework directly at Shan Yu, which kills him and is the resolution of the film. Mulan is then awarded by the Chinese emperor for saving china then gifted with Shan Yu’s sword along with his crest, for her to bring home and give honour to her family. Mulan returns home that leaves the audience satisfied with her safety and being reunited with her family.